Memoirs of a Dark Lord
by C Shearson
Summary: Harry Potter from Voldemort's point of view.


Clearly, I am not J.K. Rowling and do not own any of these characters. (I wish.) This was a school project for my speech class, and I decided to put it up because I think that it turned out pretty well. Read and Review please.

Memoirs of a Dark Lord

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

_"Expelliarmus!"_

I screamed my final words with confidence, but in that instant, as I looked into the eyes of the boy who had caused me so many difficulties over the past sixteen years, I knew that I was going to die. My green jet of light was no match for his red one, and I could see that I had mere seconds left. In my last few moments, my miserable life flashed before my eyes.

It all started on a summer's day in London many years ago. I was sitting in my dismal bedroom in the orphanage that I loathed so fervently. Those horrible children all mocked me because they didn't see my potential. If only they had known, then they never would have treated me the way they did. So, on that morning, I was sitting in my room, feeling alone and helpless as always.

That lifeless day soon became the happiest day of my life. I'll never forget the first time I saw Albus Dumbledore. With his long red hair and beard, purple velvet suit, and crooked nose, he was easily the most peculiar man I had ever seen. At first, I was angered by his presence. I was sure he was another doctor Mrs. Cope had asked to come and make sure that I wasn't insane. But when he told me that he was a professor at a school of magic called Hogwarts, and that he wanted me to go there, I was absolutely ecstatic. I did mistrust him for a minute, but it didn't take much to convince me. I think I always knew deep down. I had always been able to make bad things happen to the children who were mean to me, and I could even talk to snakes, but I never really understood my powers, much less never thought that I was a wizard. That was the first day of my life wherein I felt special.

I was amazed by the magical world that I know knew I was part of. My first year at Hogwarts went by rather uneventfully. I was placed into the Slytherin, excelled in all of my classes, but kept to myself. However, in my next few years at school, some other Slytherins and I formed a sort of gang. We were the rulers of the student population, and everyone feared us, even older students. I was our definite yet unspoken leader, and I was certainly up to the job. I learned that I could charm anyone, students and teachers alike, into giving me exactly what I wanted. Well, everyone except Albus Dumbledore, that is. The man had introduced me to the world of magic was the only one who doubted me in it. The way he kept such a close eye on me was highly annoying.

In my final years at Hogwarts, I became interested in my history. I knew that I was named after my father, Tom Riddle. I easily found his lineage, but was dismayed to find that he was not a wizard and did not attend Hogwarts. Tracking down my mother would be more difficult, for the only thing I knew about her was that my middle name, Marvolo, was her father's name. Surprisingly, it was also very easy. I was in awe when I discovered not only that my mother had indeed been a witch, but also that she was, I was, a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin himself.

I began to research my newfound ancestor, and was rather curious about something I came across while reading. In one of the books I had persuaded the librarian to get me from the restricted section, there was a mention of something called the Chamber of Secrets. Supposedly, it was a secret chamber hidden somewhere within Hogwarts, where Slytherin had stayed during his time there, and only the heir of Slytherin could open it and unleash the power inside. I made it my new mission to find the Chamber.

I spent the majority of my sixth year at Hogwarts looking for it. I vowed to leave no inch of the school unchecked. Finally, after months, I found a small snake engraved onto one of the sinks in a girls bathroom. I knew instantaneously that it was what I had been searching for. I spent weeks there trying to figure out how to open the chamber. I performed every spell I could think of on the snake, but I had no avail. I knew that I had to prove that I was the heir of Slytherin to open it, but I could think of no way to do so. Finally, it hit me. My ancestor could talk to snakes; that was the reason for the snake on his portion of the Hogwarts emblem. Did I not share the same power as he? I focused all of my might on the snake and I knew I could do it. I was unsure of what to say, so I simply said the first thing that came to my mind. I simply said "open" and the sink began to slide apart and a passage leading down was unveiled. I followed the tunnel and was amazed at what I came to. I found a giant snake, a basilisk that is, that would follow my every command.

I was so proud to have opened the chamber, to have claimed my destiny as the heir of Slytherin. I knew then that never wanted anything to do with my muggle father again, especially his name. From that point on, Tom Marvolo Riddle was no more. The era of Lord Voldemort had began.

I unleashed the basilisk on the muggleborns of the school, hoping to scare them out. It caused frenzy at Hogwarts, but nobody suspected me as the culprit behind the mayhem, for I was Tom Riddle, prefect, head boy, perfect student, and quidditch captain. Then the beast killed that pathetic little girl. I must say, I felt I bit of remorse in the beginning. She was the first person I ever killed, however indirectly it may have been. I was more concerned with finding a scapegoat. I was finished, but nobody would just forget about it. I blamed it on Rubeus Hagrid, a particularly unintelligent giant half-breed. I did it masterfully well, but Dumbledore kept an eye on me from that point on.

Opening the Chamber of Secrets was an eye-opening experience. I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be the greatest, most powerful wizard that ever was. I would do whatever it took to make it happen. I would not let even death stop me. I spent my final year at Hogwarts taking advantage of the extensive collection of books in the library, searching for a way to make myself immortal. I was determined. Finally I found something in one of the books. I found a passage in a book titled "The Darkest of Magical Arts" detailing something called a horcrux. Even that gave very few details of what one was; it just said that it was the darkest and most damaging thing a wizard could do. I was morbidly curious, so I did what I do best—I charmed the answer out of one of my professors. Professor Slughorn was very easily won over. All it took was a little candy and some flattery. He told me that a horcrux is something that a wizard can make to become immortal. After murdering someone, if a wizard performed a certain spell, he would rip off part of his soul and transfer it into an inanimate object, so that if his body died, he would live on.

I knew then what I had to do. I would make a horcrux. But I knew that one wasn't enough. I would make six, dividing my soul into seven pieces, the strongest magical number. I made my first one right at Hogwarts, using the murder of the girl who was killed by the basilisk as my base. I was very particular about the object into which I transferred my soul. I wanted something that showed splendor and power, but the best that I could do at Hogwarts was the diary that I had kept during the time when I opened the chamber.

After I graduated, I traveled around the country searching for objects that I wanted to turn into horcruxes. I started by returning to the abandoned home of my grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt. There I found an old ring, one that had been in the family for centuries. I knew I wanted this ring to be my second horcrux. I stole it, went to the mansion where my father lived, murdered him and his parents, and then made the horcrux by using his death. This time I felt no remorse. I decided that I wanted to find an object from each of the founders of Hogwarts for my next four horcruxes. Over time, I found the diadem of Ravenclaw, a golden cup that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin's golden locket. I knew the sword of Godric Gryffindor, his only known relic, was in Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts, and was therefore unattainable. So I moved on in my search. I had only one other horcrux to make, and then I would be immortal. I decided to wait for a worthy death to make the final one.

I returned to my old followers from Hogwarts. I told them that I was now to be known as Lord Voldemort, and that they could join my world order as my followers. I decided to call them Death Eaters, to show that I feared not even death itself. Our cause was to put muggles back in their place as inferiors, followed by muggleborns, or mudbloods as some say. We killed all who tried to stop us and more and more joined my forces. My reign of terror lasted for eleven years, and rose to the point where everyone feared to speak my name.

Then one night, my empire came crashing down. I was told by one of my Death Eaters, Severus Snape, informed me of a prophecy that he had overheard. It had claimed that a child born at the end of July would have the power to overthrow me. This seemed ridiculous to me, but I decided to seek out the child anyway. I discovered that it was Harry Potter, the son of James and Lily Potter, two known supporters of Dumbledore. I went to their house in the dead of night, and murdered the boys parents. But, as I tried to murder the boy, my curse backfired, and my own body was destroyed. My soul lived on, and I fled to a forest in Albania. I was in absolute disbelief. I, the invincible Lord Voldemort, was defeated by an infant. How could that be possible? It is a question that I have never discovered the answer to.

I spent ten years suffering in that forest, waiting to be rescued by one of my Death Eaters. All I could do was posses the bodies of nearby creatures, and use that body to force myself to live on. I preferred inhabiting snakes, but still it was a horrible time. I waited every day, either to be rescued or get near enough to a human to possess him. Finally, somebody came. His name was Quirrell, and he was a professor at Hogwarts, coincidentally enough. I wanted my revenge on this boy who had escaped me, and this was the perfect way to get it. I attached my soul on to his, and my soul began to reside inside of him. He was a very timid man, and was very easy to control. He drank unicorn's blood to make me stronger, and soon enough, I began to become a being again. I started forming a face onto the back of his head, but it wasn't enough. I wanted my body back.

I devised a plan. We would go back to Hogwarts, because Quirrell knew that the Philosopher's stone, a stone that brought immortality to it's possessor, was being kept at Hogwarts this year. It would make me strong enough regain my body. I could also kill Harry Potter, and this time I would succeed. It all sounded a little too convenient to me, but I took what I was handed without question. Quirrell and I spent that year trying to figure out how to get the stone and Harry at the same time. After spending all that time with him, I became closer to Quirrell then I ever have been to anyone else before. Being attached to the back of somebody's head is a great way to get to know a guy. Quirrell became more than just a slave whose body I was literally depleting of all life slowly and painfully for my own benefit. He became almost like a friend to me. Anyways, we came up with a brilliant plan, but I was again foiled by that ludicrously lucky little boy. I didn't get the stone, I lost a body, and Quirrell was destroyed. I actually felt bad about that one.

I returned my spirit to the forest in which I had previously hidden. I waited for a Death Eater again. This time was different though; I felt stronger. It was easier to wait then before, and soon enough I was saved. Peter Pettigrew, a Death Eater, returned to the forest for me. Also, the snake whose body I had been possessing was following me too. Nagini became a sort of pet of mine. Together, they helped me achieve a rudimentary body, but I had greater plans. I would use dark magic this time. Again, I needed Harry Potter. After he had been useful, I would kill him and end this nonsense once and for all.

We hatched a plan to get Harry from his protections and bring him to the graveyard in which my father is buried. Before that. however, I made my final horcrux and cast a fraction of my soul into Nagini. Eventually, our plan worked. Harry arrived, and I used his blood as an ingredient in the potion that was to restore me, along with my father's bone and Wormtail's right hand. It worked. Not only did the potion recreate my physical body, but I could now touch Harry without feeling pain. But again when I tried to duel him I could not kill him, and he escaped from my clutches again.

I knew who must die before I would be ale to kill Harry—Albus Dumbledore. If I could kill Dumbledore than I could take over Hogwarts and Harry would be much easier to kill. I was worried at first, because he is the only wizard that I've ever really feared, so I hired Draco Malfoy as a Death Eater and assigned him to kill Dumbledore and transport more Death Eaters into the castle. He succeeded in getting them in, but could not kill him. Severus Snape stepped in and killed him in Draco's place.

With Dumbledore out of the way, I was able to take over the Ministry and Hogwarts. I started by freeing all of my Death Eaters from Azkaban. We silently took over the ministry, and instilled fear in all muggleborns. In the meantime, I went on a journey to try to find the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world. I knew that if I had it I would be able to kill Harry. I finally tracked it down, much to my surprise, to Albus Dumbledore. I went to his grave and took it from him.

Then, I heard that Harry Potter and his companions had broken into the Lestranges' vault in Gringotts, where I had hidden one of my horcruxes. I began to panic. I was terrified that this boy had destroyed all of them. I went around, checking each hiding place, and was disturbed to find that only that Nagini and Ravenclaw's diadem, hidden inside Hogwarts, were remaining. I returned my army to Hogwarts and sent them to get the diadem. But Harry Potter, always defying me, got there first. I gave an ultimatum to Hogwarts: give Harry up, and I will spare you. They didn't, of course. I didn't really think they would. When I gave them another one, Harry came to me, because he didn't want to continue to see people die for him.

I attempted to kill him once again, but this time it seemed to succeed. My spell hit him and he fell to the ground, nothing happened to me. I sent a Death Eater over to check and make sure he was, and she confirmed it. I expected to feel happy then. But I did not. Just a bit relieved, but other than that just as empty as usual. I announced the event to Hogwarts, but their forces continued to fight. When that boy, Neville Longbottom, destroyed Nagini, my final Horcrux, I was outraged and terrified. I had become a mortal man. And then Harry returned, much to my surprise, , alive and wanted to duel with me. I had become very afraid of this boy, but I didn't let it show. If I had failed to kill him when he was immortal, what would happen to me now?

And then I realized something, as I was dueling with him. I didn't want any of this anymore. I didn't care if I became ruler of the world. All I wanted was to be loved, and friendship. Inside, I was still the little boy sitting in the orphanage, feeling desperately alone.

Only a few seconds had past, but the situation changed entirely to me. I no longer feared the death I knew Harry Potter was going to bring me, I embraced it with an open heart. Then, Lord Voldemort was no more.


End file.
